Article by Maya Vukovska
Do we love circuit parties?
Hell yes!
What do we love the most about them?
Definitely not paying 6 to 8 bucks for a bottle of water. So, what else? The glow sticks?
The flashing lights? The sequins-covered t-shirts and shorts? The drugs? The upbeat loud music?
The answer is, all of the above. But what any circuit party can’t do without are the party boys! We’d recognize them even in the tightest crowd. They have these ravishing, hairless, tanned gym bodies they unselfishly and benevolently expose for everybody’s pleasure. But it’s not only the bodies that we love them for. it’s the whole thing they epytomize: the vibe of the party, the sex, the gay hedonism, and the overall I-never-gonna-die sensation they radiate. These boys are always there -at crazy parties at pools, in cool large indoor venues, on beaches - to give us the complete picture of what the circuit is all about.
Here are 8 reasons why we find circuit boys absolutely awesome.
They are not looking for anything serious
Because they just want to have fun. They let people write their phone numbers on their sweaty palms, and then just forget about them. Washed out. Never existed. Circuit parties are like a Grindr profile come to life. If you are attending a circuit party as a single gay man, whose only purpose is also to have fun and get laid, no strings attached, these boys are an excellent choice. Excuse the merchandise metaphor!
Gym is their temple
In 1997, a guy named Michelangelo Signorile, a notorious critic of the circuit and its commercialization, called the circuit parties “a cult”, the gyms - “the cult’s temple”, and the nightclubs - “the cult’s shrines”. If we are to read Signorile’s words literally, then we very much would like to join this Evangelical Church of the Circuit of the Seventh Day. And we certainly would like to receive absolution from priests with herculean bodies!
They (un)dress to impress
One of the signs you are turning into a circuit boy, queen, or whatever is the moment when stop understanding the concept of wearing a shirt at a club. Circuit boys compensate the absence of clothes with fabulous, must-have accessories, such as fans, tall gym socks, and fanny packs in electric colors.
They are good at planning and logistics
Since each party occurs on a specific weekend in a different location, some serious planning in advance is required. Circuit guys must be as resourceful as Elon Musk, and as energetic and efficient as The Flash if they want to maintain this crazy, hectic lifestyle of theirs. Just imagine how busy their yearly schedule must be. In January, there is the Blue Ball in Philly, followed by the Black and the White parties in New York and Palm Spring (in March and April), and suddenly it’s summer, and you have to fly to Provincetown for the Independence Weekend, and then to Austin for the amazing Splash Days.
They aren’t work-shy
It may seem that their life is non-stop partying and glitter, but it’s not quite the truth. This type of lifestyle is actually very expensive. The reason why we see the same faces in New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco every summer, is because these guy work their a*ses off the rest of the year in order to afford partying around. The entrance fee for each event may come up to $200, and it’s not only the price of admission. There is additional spending on travel and hotel costs, sexy clothing, and the like. Many parties, like the White Party and especially Matinee!, are very costly. However, these boys know how to earn a penny, and then how to spend it with aplomb.
EDM is their religion
If you don’t know that Harder, better, faster, stronger is an iconic Duft Punk song, you’d better stay at home, and don’t even think of attending a circuit party. Because circuit is mostly about dance music! The circuit boys know all the right moves and how to turn dancing into a perpendicular expression of their own horizontal desires. When you watch them dance, you experience something similar to a stroke… or an epiphany. Suddenly, you realize you were born into this world for this particular moment.
They are happy
It’s impossible to fake happiness! Critics argue that circuit scene fosters self-destruction behavior. It is true for some boys, sure, because the circuit does partying until dawn, and sleeping with people you’ve just me (no judgement!!) But the majority of the boys are kind, genuine, and happy-looking. And they certainly know how to enjoy life without f*cking it up.
They stick together
Circuit boys have the strongest sense of togetherness. No matter how young they are, they are familiar with the history: the hedonistic marathon they now participate in originated in a unique LGTBQ tradition which started back in 1969, with the Stonewall Riots. They understand the LGTBQ community is a family, a family that’ll support them no matter what. They are out and proud, and would let nobody take that away from them. The circuit is their natural habitat where they feel empowered, attractive, free, and able to experience a true sense of belonging.
